DRAGNet Frequently Asked Questions
Protocol Questions:
What characteristics must my site have to be appropriate for DRAGNet?
When can I join the network?
I do not have access to the recommended micronutrients brand. Is there something else I can use?
When should I apply treatments (i.e., disturbance, fertilizer) at my site?
Should I remove woody biomass from the experimental plots?
My site is actively managed with fire, grazing, and/or mowing. Do I need to adjust my data collection plan to account for the management of my site?
My site is in a highly seasonal area or in an area with a particularly long growing season. Should I collect data twice?
Can I participate in “DRAGNet Seeds” if I establish my site in 2022 or later?
Other Questions:
How many PIs can represent a site?
Is funding available to cover site establishment costs?
Is funding available for soil analyses and shipping?
What characteristics must my site have to be appropriate for DRAGNet?
- The main criteria for the site is that it is dominated by relatively homogenous herbaceous vegetation. While low abundance of woody species is okay, sites that are dominated by woody vegetation such as shrubs or trees are not appropriate given the spatial scale of the experiment. The site can be disturbed, currently be grazed, and undergo active management (i.e., burning, mowing), though these should be reported on submitted data sheets.
When can I join the network?
- Sites may join at any time. However, to be eligible for the first round of “opt-out” DRAGNet papers, sites must be established and pre-treatment data collected no later than 2022 (Y0). Pre-treatment data can be collected in the same year that treatments are applied as long as treatments are applied after these data are collected.
I do not have access to the recommended micronutrients brand. Is there something else I can use?
- You are welcome to mix and use your own fertilizer as long as the elemental forms and amounts exactly match those used in the experiment. If you have any questions on micronutrients, please contact Anita Porath-Krause ([email protected]).
When should I apply treatments (i.e., disturbance, fertilizer) at my site?
- The DRAGNet experiment is designed so that the time required to establish and maintain the experiment is not overwhelming for PIs (1 - 2 weeks each season). Therefore, the protocol states that treatments ought to be applied immediately after compositional and biomass data are collected each season (i.e., during one trip to the field). However, if PIs are able to travel to their sites more than once a season and believe the climate and growing patterns in their areas warrant modifications to this schedule, deviations from the protocol are permissible. For example, at many European and Eastern USA sites, fertilizer is applied early in the spring rather than the preceding fall to avoid leaching through wet winter months when plants are not active. Dates of treatment application should be reported with data submission, so that all activities can be documented throughout the duration of the experiment.
Should I remove woody biomass from the experimental plots?
- Yes - in order to keep DRAGNet an herbaceous ecosystem experiment, woody stem colonization can be controlled by removal of recruits where appropriate. In order to generate usable data from this activity, please utilize the linked protocol and datasheet found at : https://nutnet.org/methods/woody-removal
My site is actively managed with fire, grazing, and/or mowing. Do I need to adjust my data collection plan to account for the management of my site?
- We leave it up to the site PIs to determine when to collect data and biomass so that it is representative of “peak growing season” vegetation. However, if management actions remove biomass (i.e., mowing), compositional data and biomass ought to be collected prior to these activities in order to provide an estimate of a full season of growth.
My site is in a highly seasonal area or in an area with a particularly long growing season. Should I collect data twice?
- Numerous sites have chosen to collect compositional and biomass data twice each season. If you chose to do so, please collect the full suite of data (cover of the whole community, biomass) at both sampling dates.
Can I participate in “DRAGNet Seeds” if I establish my site in 2022 or later?
- For sites being established in 2022 the following options are available to participate in DRAGNet Seeds:
- Seed bank: Seed bank samples can be collected at the beginning of the growing season (i.e., before germination) and prior to disturbance.
- Seed rain: Seed rain data can be collected if site PIs are willing to count and identify seeds themselves. DRAGNet can still send seed carpets for this component of the experiment.
- Sites established in 2023 or later will not be able to participate in the seeds experiments.
Other Questions:
How many PIs can represent a site?
- Most sites have one or two PIs. However, under special circumstances (i.e., early career researchers are involved, translation of protocols is required) three PIs are allowed. Please contact the current DRAGNet coordinator to discuss specific situations.
Is funding available to cover site establishment costs?
- Unfortunately funding is not available to help PIs with the cost of establishing sites. However, establishing sites in low-income countries can be substantially less expensive than in high-income countries (i.e., fertilizer costs are lower, the cost of renting equipment is lower).
Is funding available for soil analyses and shipping?
- Unfortunately funding is not available for soil analyses and shipping. However, if this is a barrier to participation, please contact the current DRAGNet coordinator to discuss possible alternatives to completing this component of the experiment.